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Upa Creek, MO

I haven’t added straight compost or a manure mix to the patch since 2013. I got disease really bad that year in the soil and am hesitant to add again, but feel like I’m missing out on so many benefits. Another issue is I grow in shade after 2pm and don’t get sun till 9am which makes the area more disease prone.

Has anyone else went years without adding compost and been successful by only tilling in a cover crop and adding basic soil amendments according to soil tests? I change my mind everyday on this.

Thanks

3/6/2018 8:56:04 PM

Mill Bay, British Columbia

Hey Luke, that’s a long time to go without any soil amendments or OM addition other than cover crop. Do you have a recent soil test done? If so, send it out to some heavy hitters and ask their advice. Ron, Cecil, Richmond Dave, SoCal Grower, or anyone else you know who has success Year after year. Bust luck fella, I’ll be watching, love your diary.

3/6/2018 9:26:49 PM

Anamosa, IA BPIowegian@aol.com

My patch doesn't get full sun until 9 am and gets shaded by 6PM, so not quite as shady as yours. I had disease problems when I was using manure but not compost. I dug ditches and built up the growing beds and it helped with disease. I started using compost and got bigger pumpkins. I have had more disease the last 2 years, but I believe it was brought on by compaction, using a slid loader to add more soil.

Just my opinion, but I think compaction and internal drainage have a lot to do with disease. Keep the soil from being too wet for too long will sloe disease progression. Maybe some real deep tillage will help. Maybe adding some sand or perlite along with compost would give your soil some better aeration and internal drainage. And a good finished compost might be better than manure, unless the manure itself is well composted to kill pathogens.

The other thing I believe in is crop rotation. I learned from working with farmers for 30 years that growing the same crop every year increases disease.

3/6/2018 10:01:18 PM

Syracuse, NY

Mycorrhizae, Mycorrhizae, Mycorrhizae.
till it in, till it in, till it in.

3/7/2018 1:15:10 AM

Lewistown,IL

pumpkinpal2 can you expand on your suggestion. Are you saying to broadcast it on the patch and till it in ? What kind or brand of mycos are you suggesting ?

3/7/2018 2:16:29 AM

Grittyville, WA

spread it & solarize it... that's how to grow a 2118 lb. squash. (hint, hint)

...that will add a year to your plans I don't know how else you could lessen the disease pressure... careful moisture monitoring maybe?

3/7/2018 4:02:14 PM

stoughton WI

1st thing is listen to iowegian, 2nd thing we need to know what type of soil you, is it clay, sandy, does it compact easily. Does it drain well. I also have disease issues because my soil compacted easily just from the rain. I added 32 yards of sand to my patch and that has helped out with drainage. I would use well composted leaves if possible. Mychorizal will help with disease, but I'm not sure to what extent. You may want to plant a crop or 2 of mustard if you have another area to grow in. If not you may have to try either chemicals or bioloficals. I'm going with biologicals such as rootshield, actinovate, companion and others. Good luck I hope this helps somewhat.

3/7/2018 5:11:19 PM

stoughton WI

I haven't added any compost since 2015, I may add some depending on what my soil sample for disease comes back like this spring.

3/7/2018 5:14:06 PM

Upa Creek, MO

Thank you all for the replies. I still need to get the soil test done. I'm leaning towards adding some compost, but not as many yards like in the past.

I have a loam soil, and it drains pretty well. I do believe I have over watered in the past when we get those heat waves above 105. I don't get much compaction as I am pretty good about stepping the same spots\boards all summer and always aerate the soils by pitchfork after early season heavy rains (away from the plant).

I have always used Mychos and Actinovate. I think I might throw something else in there too like Companion or Rootshield.

Would the best way to add the compost be to apply over the cover crop of vetch\rye and just till it all in. Or do you all till in the crop first, then the compost? I've always done them both at the same time.

Thanks again

3/7/2018 8:35:14 PM

Syracuse, NY

Yes, i till-in 5 pounds of BioGrow Endo Plus per growing AREA, around 800 SF each for me, and whilst i do not grow as big a pumpkin every year that i COULD because i have a habit of growing too MANY, leaving little time to spend on each plant, let-along vine-burying, the staple of our mad method, lol, i had 11 plants last year that were still 'asking' to be pollinated up-until frost and i had seen that there were VERY few growers at the Oswego and Clarence weighoffs because, i heard, many growers' plants/prospects did not make it to fruition. (there were approx. SIX at Oswego and i think FIVE at Clarence?); i HAVE said elsewhere that using Myco to only bury the vines and in the planting hole is great, but if it were available to the ENTIRE plant THROUGHOUT the soil, especially for those 20-or-more-foot-long roots that extend 6+ feet (whoah) BEYOND the plant's farthest leaves' edges, then, there'd be no gaps in coverage, IMHO. >like an insurance policy.< this year, i will probably have to use it only on ONE plant in this way, due to financial reasons, but since Joel Holland grew the second-heaviest pumpkin in HISTORY and HE had tilled it in, who is to say that if anyone ELSE does, THEY won't grow another WR or PB by doing the same? no one, i think. of COURSE, the seed, the grower, the weather and all factors had to be in-line; i think it should become part of everyone's regimen, JUST LIKE burying the vines; just think, if it is already in the soil, SOME of it will be there to readily activate as soon as a root heads through it, PLUS you come along and powder the area with more Myco whilst burying the vines and ALL of those underground-already roots are doing their thing...PB/WR/PB/WR/PB/WR---take your pick!

3/7/2018 9:23:45 PM

Syracuse, NY

ahem... it'd be worth a try, huh?
you spent HOW MANY hundred on that seed?
that would be my car insurance! oh, okay, half;
the more that is used the better, and it CANNOT HURT!;
---not a paid spokesperson---LOL.

grab a 2nd beer and watch:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOiaFQCcH6s

check all the amounts and prices:

http://www.hollandsgiants.com/soil.html

a trip down my Germination Bucket memory lane:
you wish you were me:

http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=60166

okay, stop laughing, they're paid-for!
i think that is pretty neat, sprouting Mycorrhizae.
not that it works MASSIVELY better than any other method, (seed-starting mat, grow-box and others of late) but i recently got some of my own test seeds from 2001 (my 275 (845 Bobier '00 X 1026 Holland)) to reluctantly sprout (seed shell removal was necessary because i planted too deep, i think, but now i can say 'Hello' to my new seedling, when i think to, lol); still, not a paid spokesperson---

i hope for any of us in '18 a new PB and/or a WR.

3/7/2018 9:24:02 PM

Torrance, Ca.

I don't know about listening to that So Cal Grower guy...

I'd pay closer attention to either North shore or Ricks posts Luke.:)

Gravitational pull, huh...

3/7/2018 10:12:31 PM

Mill Bay, British Columbia

So.Cal.Grower has growing in dirty sand figured out, if he ever grew in quality soil, or copied the Paton’s, it would be jacket time for Chris.

Luke, email Chris and talk feeding and fertilization, he knows his stuff.

3/7/2018 10:18:57 PM

Upa Creek, MO

I saw his subsurface watering last year and my head almost exploded. I was hoping some heavy hitter would take mixing Ferts in a 5 gallon bucket and chucking it over the patch would become a proven method.

3/7/2018 10:52:29 PM

Torrance, Ca.

The subsurface watering is so the co2 injected into the water stays close to the leafs Luke.:)

3/8/2018 7:02:50 PM